


lab rats

by rowenabane



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, M/M, Science, Science Class, confident gay lee donghyuck, mark lee is a softie, renjun is a stabby boy, the dreamies are chaotic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-01
Updated: 2018-09-01
Packaged: 2019-07-04 16:28:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,266
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15845052
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rowenabane/pseuds/rowenabane
Summary: Mark hates biology class. Donghyuck doesn't make things any better.





	lab rats

**Author's Note:**

> the playlist for this story can be found [here](https://open.spotify.com/user/qk4ef212wdgk0yexpmvcqkguw/playlist/4pplahmMtZmCav9TzSmRae?si=dGJMy2IER6Wx7aYKbVANSQ)

"Can you maybe  _not_ stab me?"

"Can you maybe  _not_  put your hand where you can get stabbed?"

"Is that blood? I'm gonna be sick."

"Shut up guys, I'm trying to see. And no, Mark, that isn't blood."

Mark turned pale. "Well then what is it?"

Donghyuck rolled his eyes. "It's preservation fluid, dumbass. To  _preserve_  the _rat._ "

"Rat juice," Jeno helpfully said.

Mark looked down at the dissecting tray and turned a faint shade of green. Renjun snickered, gesturing at their current victim with his scalpel.

"Mark, its already dead. It's really not that disgusting." Mark stared at him, then at Donghyuck, then at the rat. Jeno tried to sneak his hand past Renjun so he could grab the scissors, but Renjun pointed the scalpel at him threateningly.

"I'll stab you for real this time," he said. Jeno pulled his hand back.

"Why are you the only person that gets to touch the rat?" He whined. "Every time I try to touch it you poke my fingers with the knife."

"It's not a knife, it's a  _scalpel._ " Renjun explained, cutting through the subject on the tray with more enthusiasm than was necessary.

"Why do any of you want to touch it?" Mark said, being the only person at the lab bench to have not touched their current biology project. Jaemin flipped through the answer packet and pointed to a crudely drawn diagram.

"We're supposed to locate the kidneys," he said. Jeno ignored him and poked the preserved rat, which was now missing its skin.

"Should we name the rat?" Jeno asked. "How about Whiskers?"

"That's too cute," Donghyuck complained. "That makes it feel like a pet. How about Ronald? Ronald the Rat?"

Mark glared at him. " _Why_ are we naming the rat again?"

Jeno ignored him. "How about Ratatouille? Like the movie?"

"The rat in Ratatouille is named Remy, Jeno," Jaemin said annoyed. "You're uneducated."

"At least  _I_ have an A in this class." Jeno said smugly. Jaemin grabbed the spare scalpel and would have climbed over the lab bench if their teacher hadn't interrupted them.

"Boys! No stabbing! This is a lab and you should practice appropriate behavior." Mr. Kim scolded them. They all apologized and the teacher walked away, but Jaemin continued to glare at Jeno.

"I'll put _you_ on the dissecting tray if you don't shut up."

Jeno stuck his tongue out.

Mark looked at Donghyuck, who was leaning over the tray, gloves wet with fluid. Donghyuck looked at him and grinned rakishly, wiggling his fingers.

"I got rat juice on the table," Renjun stated. "Can someone who's  _not_  touching the rat touch the paper towels and wipe the table?"

Everyone looked at Mark. Of  _course_  he was the only one not touching the rat. He grabbed a paper towel and gingerly dabbed at the fluid on the table.

"Can you please stop dripping rat juice on the floor?" Donghyuck complained. "You got some on my foot!"

"If you had worn closed toe shoes for lab like you were supposed to you wouldn't have this problem." Renjun said, slicing away.

Mark looked down at Donghyuck's flip flop clad feet and couldn't help but snicker.

"Shut up, Mark," Donghyuck said. "At least I can look at the rat without vomiting."

Mark decided he hated biology class, and for more reasons than one. He liked science, sure, but he had always been a lightweight when it came to the more  _internal_  parts of the class.

Mr. Kim had once made the class watch a video of someone giving childbirth. Donghyuck took notes. Mark passed out.

There was also the fact that Donghyuck, his best friend-slash-rival-slash-maybe crush was in the class. When he wasn't making fun of Mark for being an absolute dumbass he was sitting in the front row looking attractive. Mark was jealous. How could anyone be cute  _and_  smart at the same time?

Jaemin's voice jerked him out of his thoughts.

"I can't find the kidney," he said pensively, using a forceps to grab tiny organs. "Can someone help me?"

Jeno yelled at the lab group behind them. "Jisung! Where's the kidney?"

"Find it yourself, loser!" Chenle yelled back.

"I don't know where the kidney is," Jeno told Jaemin, who rolled his eyes.

"Thanks for the help," Jaemin said in a monotone voice. Renjun gestured towards the dissecting tray with his scalpel.

"Do you think they could be here?" Renjun said. Donghyuck leaned over the tray.

"No, that's too low," he explained fiddling absentmindedly with the edges of his gloves. "The diagram says they're higher up in the abdomen."

"Why don't we just ask the teacher?" He flung his hand up in the air. "Mr. Kim! Where are the kidneys?"

Their teacher made his way over and looked at them, then at the tray. "Good work peeling away the skin and muscles," he said, praising them. Renjun beamed and Jaemin rolled his eyes. "Anyways, the kidneys are here, near the back of the abdominal cavity." He then, as the five of them watched in horror, stuck his ungloved fingers into the specimen, grabbing the intestines. "See? Right here behind these organs."

Jeno retched and Mr. Kim laughed. "I've been doing this for years. Actually, preserved specimens like this don't have any germs. I could stick my finger in my mouth and not get sick."

"Please don't," Mark squeaked out. He was feeling suspiciously lightheaded. Mr. Kim laughed again.

"Don't worry, I won't." He unthinkingly placed a hand on Mark's shoulder.

"Oh my  _god!_ He touched you with his rat juice hands!" Jeno yelled. Jaemin's eyes widened, almost comically.

Mark looked at the five of them and, unsurprisingly, passed out.

...

He woke up some time later on the bench in the nurse's office. The smell of preservative was, thankfully, absent from the small space. He sat up and saw the nurse, Jung Jaehyun, working on the computer.

"Oh good, you're awake." He said, rolling his chair over to where Mark was laying. "How are you feeling?"

"I feel better now," Mark conceded. "Now that I'm not looking at a dead rat." The nurse shook his head.

"Do you have any clue how many students I get from that class?" The nurse grumbled. "It seems like every week I get some poor student who faints in class. I'm going to have to speak to Doyoung about his teaching methods." He rubbed the bridge of his nose. He and Mark were fairly close, seeing as how Mark was one of those "poor students" who was always fainting in class. He stood up, stretching.

"I have to go to a meeting real quick," he told Mark. "Can you stay here without breaking something?"

Mark nodded. 

Jaehyun walked out of the office with a pile of papers in his arms. Mark laid back on the bench and closed his eyes, in no hurry to get back to class. 

...

**can I get an A in bio? can I _please_  get an A in bio???**

**_Five online_ **

**whatshuangwithu: can u believe we only got a B on the dissection project**

****whatshuangwithu: im suing this is probably bc mark died**  
**

****jenope: okay shut up not everyone likes DEAD THINGS** **

**whatshuangwithu: i like SCIENCE**

**whatshuangwithu: u guys r in the way of my DEGREE**

**jaemini: yo okay but it did take us literally five years to find the kidneys so maybe thats why we only got a B**

****imjiSUING** : HA our group got an A+ LOSERS**

**chenlegend: HA**

****imjiSUING** : HA**

**jaemini: SHUT UP YALL**

****whatshuangwithu: ILL FIGHT ALL OF YOU** **

****imjiSUING** : how ur like 5 feet tall**

**imjiSUING: what r u gonna do**

****imjiSUING** : bite my ankles???   
**

****whatshuangwithu: say goodbye to your kneecaps FUCKER** **

**jaemini: THERE ARE CHILDREN HERE RENJUN NO CUSSING**

**jaemini: not in MY CHRISTIAN HOUSEHOLD**

**jenope: anyWAYs did yall see the look on mark's face when the teacher touched him  
**

**jenope: bruh he was about to SCREAM askjsajkskja**

**jaemini: i would too tbh**

**jaemini: i dont want the rat juice**

****whatshuangwithu: Weaklings. you lack the Power.**  
**

****chenlegend: power to do what? be physically shorter than literally everybody in class?** **

******whatshuangwithu: thats it meet me behind the football field so i can beat ur ass** ** **

****chenlegend: you cant fight me they'll kick u out of NHS if u do  
** **

******whatshuangwithu: shit. ur right.** ** **

****jenope: wheres hyuck** **

****jenope: why isnt he here to witness renjun getting completely Decimated  
** **

****jaemini: ???? did he Die** **

****chenlegend: ;)** **

**imjiSUING: ;) ;)**

**whatshuangwithu: what**

**chenlegend: ;)**

**whatshuangwithu: WHAT**

**imjiSUING: not telling u**

**whatshuangwithu: ill beat ur ass too dont think i wont**

...  **  
**

Mark opened his eyes as he heard the door to the nurse's office creak open. He sat up when he saw Donghyuck waving at him.

"Hey, ya big loser," Donghyuck said. "You alive?"

Mark let his head fall back on the bench. "Unfortunately." He looked sideways at Donghyuck, who sat in the rolling chair. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to check on you," he explained, putting his hands behind his head. "Mr. Kim made me carry you to the nurse's office. You're pretty heavy."

"Did you just come to complain?" Mark asked, propping himself up on his elbows. Donghyuck shrugged.

"Maybe. I also came because I have a test next period and I'm not ready to take it."

"Glad to see you care," Mark said, huffing. Donghyuck pouted.

"I do care," he whined. "I'm here, aren't I?" Mark rolled his eyes at the display.

"This is just like that time you showed up at my birthday party and told me straight to my face that you only came for the cake." 

"But I came," Donghyuck pointed out.

"That's literally my entire point."

"Okay, but the look on your face in class was hilarious."

"How so?" Mark asked sarcastically, swinging his legs over the side of the bench.

"As soon as Mr. Kim said we were doing dissections you turned so pale you blended in with the wall. I thought you were gonna strangle yourself."

"I was," Mark agreed. "But if I get a bad grade in this class I'm gonna have to face my mom's wrath and I am  _not_  ready for that."

"Big mood. Me too," Donghyuck said, nodding.

"Shut up," Mark said. "You're literally a genius. You and Renjun have been fighting for class rank number one since you met."

"Listen," Donghyuck started, "I sacrificed my soul for two things: incredible beauty and the ability to beat Renjun's ass at whatever I wanted to."

"Well, you've succeeded at both of those." Mark said. "Tell the devil to hit me up so I can sell my soul, too."

Donghyuck laughed. "So you admit I am, in fact, incredibly beautiful?"

Mark could feel heat creeping up his cheeks. "I mean, objectively. From a yeah-bro-you're-attractive-no-homo-though viewpoint."

"The absolute  _disrespect._  No homo? Your gay ass can't handle my beauty." Donghyuck said, leaning back in his chair.

Mark had to admit he was, in fact, becoming a Panicked Gay at the very words. Donghyuck was completely right, but Mark wasn't going to let  _him_  know that.

"Shut up or I'm gonna pull a Renjun and beat you up." Mark said. Donghyuck laughed, and the sound sent tingles through Mark's body.

"I'd like to see you try, you big softie." Donghyuck said, pulling him into a sudden hug. "I'm glad you're feeling well enough to threaten me."

"Wow," Mark said, feigning surprise. "You do care."

"Only about you," Donghyuck said into his shoulder.

It was like a confession but Mark knew better, and he actually felt a little saddened by the words. Donghyuck would never like him as more than a friend. Donghyuck was cool and smart and amazing and Mark was just...Mark.

Mark continued to sulk internally until Donghyuck kissed him. He jumped at it, shaking. It was only the briefest of touches, a simple press of the lips, but Mark felt like someone had set him on fire.

"Holy Jesus in heaven you just  _kissed_  me," Mark said disbelievingly. Donghyuck smirked.

"Uh, yeah?"

"But why???" Mark asked, his heart beating so fast he could probably hear it.

"Because I  _like_  you??" Donghyuck said, looking at Mark like he was stupid.

Mark laughed nervously. "Oh, well, haha, that's such a coincidence I mean, I like you too, uh..."

Donghyuck rolled his eyes. "I know, you big dumbass."

"How?" Mark said, He thought he'd kept the whole pining-after-his-best-friend thing pretty discreet.

"You're not very discreet," Donghyuck said. "We've been friends so long I can almost read you like a book."

"Well," Mark said. "Maybe now we can be something more."

He kissed Donghyuck again, smiling.

...

**can I get an A in bio? can I _please_  get an A in bio???**

**_Five online_ **

**whatshuangwithu: nvm jisung now I know**

**whatshuangwithu: just walked by the nurses office to check on mark**

**whatshuangwithu: n mark and hyuck are sucking each others faces**

**whatshuangwithu: i am Disgusted**

**jaemini: FINALLY ITS HAPPENED**

**jaemini: THANK GOD I COULDNT HANDLE ANY MORE MUTUAL PINING**

**jenope: wait what**

**chenlegend: LOVE BITCH**

**jaemini: LANGUAGE**

**chenlegend: sorry mom**

**jenope: great now its u and jisungs turn**

**chenlegend: what**

**imjiSUING: what**

**whatshuangwithu: the tea is hot today BITCHES**

**jaemini: please,,,cant we just be NORMAL for oNCE**

**imjiSUING: mark n hyuck need to come to class so i can cheat on this math test**

**imjisuing: where r they again**

**jenope: being IN LOVE**

**imjiSUING: u g h**

 

 

 

 

 

 

**can I get an A in bio? can I _please_  get an A in bio???**

**_One online_ **

**whatshuangwithu: wait a second**

**whatshuangwithu: if hyuck is distracted with mark**

**whatshuangwithu: do yall think i can beat him for top spot in the class????**

**Author's Note:**

> a) this fic is actually inspired by real life experiences fight me  
> b) find the playlist [here](https://open.spotify.com/user/qk4ef212wdgk0yexpmvcqkguw/playlist/4pplahmMtZmCav9TzSmRae?si=dGJMy2IER6Wx7aYKbVANSQ)  
> c) thanks for reading!


End file.
